Autism treatment to be covered in Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 3 (UPI) -- Autism treatment will now be covered by private health insurance companies, a proposal passed by the Florida Legislature says.

The Miami Herald reported Saturday the Steven A. Geller Autism Coverage Act passed by the state Legislature this week will require all private insurance groups to cover autism medical aid.

House Speaker Marco Rubio said after Friday's 11th-hour passage that if the proposal hadn't dealt with human suffering, he would have recommended further debate on the subject.

"If this issue is about anything else, anything else -- taxes, anything -- I would tell you: 'Don't do it. Let's give it back and do it right and get it completely right.' But it has to do with children and with families,'' Rubio said. "I think we need to take a step forward.''

The proposal had been controversial in the Legislature as House officials wanted to add required coverage for those suffering from Down's Syndrome and other disabilities. Members of the Florida Senate opposed expanding coverage requirements without further research and said they would only support the measure in its current form, the Herald reported.